NEW YORK — FBI agents seized New York City Mayor Eric Adams‘iPhones and iPads in what appears to be part of a corruption investigation into campaign fundraising.
The seizure took place Monday evening. The FBI addressed the mayor on the street, asked his security guards to stand down, and confiscated two iPhones and an iPad. They were returned a few days later.
Adams’ campaign lawyer, Boyd Johnson, released the following statement, which appears to raise questions about the involvement of someone close to him in some sort of impropriety:
“Upon learning of the federal investigation, it was discovered that an individual had recently acted inappropriately. In the spirit of transparency and cooperation, this behavior was immediately and proactively reported to investigators. Mayor has been and remains committed to cooperating in this matter. On Monday evening, the FBI contacted the mayor after an event. The mayor immediately complied with the FBI’s request and provided them with electronic devices. The mayor was not charged with no wrongdoing and continues to cooperate with the investigation.
During his weekly meeting with reporters on Wednesday, Adams was asked primarily about the stunner FBI raids home of top campaign fundraiser Briana Suggs. The mayor did not disclose that he had been approached by FBI agents who had confiscated his electronic devices two days earlier.
Sources told CBS New York political reporter Marcia Kramer that the information Adams’ lawyers gave to investigators did not involve Suggs, but someone else in the mayor’s inner circle.
The sources refused to characterize the person, but information concerning him was found on one of the mayor’s devices, which was returned to him after a few days.
An FBI spokesperson declined to comment.
Watch Marcia Kramer’s report
“This lays the groundwork for a conspiracy that will thicken considerably in terms of the mayor’s involvement,” Kean University Provost David Birdsell told CBS New York.
Birdsell says while there is no implication of culpability, it certainly raises the stakes for the mayor.
“Until now, no one had made allegations about the mayor’s involvement in potentially raising funds from foreign sources, in this case Turkish sources, but now they are seizing his devices,” he said. -he declares.
And what was the FBI looking for?
“You’ll find text messages. You’ll find emails. And just as importantly, you’ll find evidence of when the calls were made or received and who made or received those calls,” the former U.S. attorney said Zachary Carter.
The mayor released his own statement saying, “As a former member of law enforcement, I expect all members of my staff to follow the law and cooperate fully with any sort of investigation – and I will continue to do just that. I have nothing to do. hide.”